Για να το διαβάσετε στα Ελληνικά, κάντε κλικ εδώ
What is the common point between a Jew in Greece, in New York, in Buenos Aires, in Yemen, in Morocco or in Poland? What is the common point between a Jew in Antiquity, a Jew of the Middle Ages, a Jew of the Renaissance, a Jew of modern times?
It is not the food we eat, nor the language we speak nor the way we dress, nor the professions we have. Some have blond hair, speak yiddish and eat gefilte fish, others have black hair, speak Ladino or Arabic and eat bourekitas... some spoke Aramaic or ancient Greek, some dressed in Babylonian tunics and others in Venetian dresses, some are wealthy bankers, other are poor peddlers...
Their only common point is the Torah, our timeless inheritance. Their only common point is the study and the practice of the Torah, which has passed through so many generations and countries, despite the persecutions. All study the same Bible and Talmud, all keep the same laws of Shabbat and Kashrut, all celebrate the same holidays... the menu of Shabbat may vary but the Shabbat is the same, the tune of the prayers may vary but they are all similar in content...
We start tomorrow night (Friday 9th of October 2020) the joyous holidays of Shmini Atseret and Simchat Torah.
We sing and dance with the Torah. We may celebrate in a different way this year because of covid-19, but we will celebrate with the same joy!
We rejoice in the gift that G-d has given us. We rejoice with the Torah, regardless of how much we study it, how much we observe it. We rejoice and dance with the closed Sefer Torah because we celebrate the intimate and timeless connection each Jew has with the Torah.
Chag Sameach and Shabbat Shalom!